


Bad Blood

by Galactique



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Attempted Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Clone Wars, Drama, Friendship, Galactic Senate Shenanigans, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-19 05:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8191879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactique/pseuds/Galactique
Summary: After Bail Organa is mysteriously poisoned, Padmé Amidala teams up with Ahsoka Tano to find the antidote.





	1. The Poison Within

“I have a good feeling about this.” 

Padmé Amidala and Bail Organa walked side-by-side down the halls of the senate building, exhausted yet optimistic after a long day of speeches and heated debates. They had been working tirelessly on a government transparency bill, gathering likeminded senators to aide them on the project. After weeks of intense research, interviews, data collection, and meetings, they presented the information to the senate. 

Padmé was frustrated by the fierce opposition they faced. Why didn’t people understand that even during wartime, the Republic needed to be open and honest with the public, especially about the budget, trade deals, and ongoing negotiations? Keeping things in the dark only lead to more corruption. 

Despite this, she was confident that they would succeed. There would be a vote tomorrow after Bail gave a final speech. 

Padmé smiled for the first time all day. “Me, too. I think we finally did it.” 

She was running over everything they needed to do to prepare for the vote when she nearly collided with Senator Mee Deechi, a tall, pale Umbaran with an air of unpleasantness about him. It disgusted her to see how little he cared about ending the war. The more it escalated, the more gleeful he became. 

“Ah, the noble crusaders!” Deechi sneered. “Too naïve to see the security risk of your bill, of course.” 

“They increased clone production again. Why so cranky?” Padmé retorted. 

“And rightfully so. Our troops are being slaughtered by Grievous faster than we can replace them. Do you have any idea how much the last attack cost us?” 

“Throwing more credits at the problem won’t help,” Bail said. “Peaceful discourse should be our first priority.” 

“Spoken like a typical, spineless Alderaanian. This bill will put the Republic in a vulnerable position, so I’d be careful if I were you, Organa. Your constant meddling—“ 

He broke off, his gaze wandering up the hall. Padmé turned around and saw Chancellor Palpatine, Mas Amedda, and a few senate guards walking in their direction. Deechi grumbled something before slinking away. 

The Chancellor stopped in front of them, smiling brightly even though he was visibly weary. Padmé was always glad to see him. He shared her views on public affairs and worked hard to find common ground in the senate while treating everyone fairly. However, she was concerned that special interest groups were swaying him too easily these days.

“Well done today, my friends,” Palpatine said. “If this passes, it will bring a much needed change to our system.” 

Padmé gave a small bow, glowing with pride from the compliment. “Thank you, Chancellor. Would you care to join us in the dining hall? I think today calls for celebration.” 

Palpatine patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, my dear, but I must be going. Sadly, we lost two Jedi to General Grievous’s forces merely an hour ago. I want to meet with Yoda and be there for our allies in this difficult time.” 

Padmé was overcome by an overwhelming feeling of dread, the same feeling she always got when someone mentioned Jedi casualities. Her heart pounded faster and she prayed that her worst nightmare would never become a reality. The names that Palpatine gave weren’t familiar, but she still felt a pang of sorrow mixed with relief. 

“Send my condolences, Your Excellency,” Bail said. 

Palpatine sighed. “Such senseless violence. Will this war ever end?” 

He slowly continued down the hall with Amedda and the guards. 

*** 

The dining area was mostly empty save for a few senators. Padmé and Bail ordered a light meal of chilled soup, fruit, and wine. Bail was being unusually quiet. He took a swig from his goblet and idly circled his spoon in his bowl, eyes downcast. Despite their productive day, he seemed dejected. 

“What’s wrong?” Padmé asked as she sliced her fruit. 

He looked out of the window at the bustling city for a moment before meeting her gaze. “Some days it all feels so hopeless. There are people in the senate against basic values of the Republic. It’s all so disheartening.” 

Padmé laid a reassuring hand on his arm. “Don’t let Deechi get to you. As long as there are people willing to stand up for peace and democracy, there will always be hope. You’ll do great tomorrow.” 

Bail gave her a small smile. “You know, even after all of these years, I still get nervous about public speaking.” 

“You? Never,” Padmé laughed. 

Suddenly, Bail winced and put a hand on his stomach. A flash of pain crossed his face as he stood up and swayed slightly on his feet. 

“I—I think I’m going to be sick,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Need---the refresher.” 

He quickly exited the dining commons, leaving Padmé puzzled at his odd behavior. She knew that Breha hadn’t been well lately. Perhaps her illness along with the pressure in the senate was finally taking its toll on him. 

Before she could dwell on it any further, a commotion arose in the hallway. Padmé leapt from her seat and ran out of the door. She could feel the blood drain from her face when she saw a group of senators anxiously huddled around an unconscious Bail. Riyo Chuchi cradled his head in her lap, her yellow eyes wide with fear as she frantically told a nearby aide to summon a medical droid. 

“What happened!?” Padmé cried. 

“He just passed out,” Mon Mothma said. “He’s barely breathing.” 

Padmé knelt down beside Bail and put a hand on his cold, clammy forehead. He opened his eyes, struggling to focus as she took his hand in hers. 

“Stay with me,” she said. “They’re getting help.” 

She looked up and saw Mee Deechi and the Kaminoan senator Halle Burtoni standing against the wall and silently observing the situation. Padmé could’ve sworn that she saw a moment of shock on Deechi’s narrow face, but he quickly smoothed it back into its usual glower. 

*** 

“…an ancient toxin. Hasn’t been seen in the galaxy since the Old Republic.” 

“But, is there a cure, doctor?” 

“I’m afraid not, Chancellor Palpatine. The only thing we can do is make sure Organa is comfortable until he…” 

Padmé was barely listening. She stood in the Chancellor’s office with Mothma, Chuchi, and Onaconda Farr, clenching her fists and trying not to cry. This couldn’t be happening. Not Bail. 

She was vaguely aware of Palpatine ending the hologram transmission before looking at the senators, his expression grim. 

“He was poisoned, then?” Farr asked, trying to keep his voice level. 

“I’m afraid so. Inspector Divo is working on the case as we speak,” Palpatine said. “What a disturbing turn of events. After the bounty hunter incident, I thought we’d vastly improved our safety plans.” 

“It was Senator Deechi,” Padmé said angrily. “He hates Bail enough to do it!” 

“We mustn’t jump to conclusions,” Palpatine said gently. “For now, we need to be vigilant. There’s a possibility that it was a Separatist infiltrator. An attack like this needs to be taken very, very seriously.”

*** 

Mothma wrapped an arm around Padmé as they walked down the hall in silence. It was meant to be comforting, but Padmé couldn’t stop replaying the event over and over in her mind, wishing that they’d never gone to eat in the commons. 

“We’re meeting Queen Breha at the medical center,” Chuchi said. “Would you like to join us, Padmé?”

“No.” 

The others stopped and looked at her in surprise as she pulled away from Mothma and stood before her companions with new purpose. She wasn’t going to sit around and watch one of her dearest friends die. 

Farr eyed her warily. “Don’t do anything rash. I know you’re upset, but there’s no evidence that Deechi---“ 

“Forget him. I’m going to find the cure.”


	2. Visions of Darkness

Ahsoka soared over lush, green mountains and wide rivers on an unfamiliar, sunbathed planet. She saw fragmented images of a large building and colorful flags waving in the breeze. But, it quickly shifted to heavy, absolute blackness. A light suddenly appeared in the distance and grew closer and closer until she made out the terrified face of…. Senator Amidala? What was she doing here? There was a bloodcurdling screech. Something grabbed the senator and pulled her into the darkness as she cried for help. The scene disappeared a wide view from space unfolded as a planet exploded, followed by flashes of other worlds meeting the same fate. Screams of terror echoed in Ahsoka’s mind. She panicked. What was happening? Why---

Her eyes snapped open. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor in her quarters. It took her a moment to come back to reality and remember what she was doing. Her master had been sent away with Obi-Wan on a particularly dangerous mission. Even though Ahsoka insisted that she was ready for a challenge, Anakin told her to stay at the Temple and wasn’t about to change his mind. Even though he was constantly worried about her safety, he could also be frustratingly overprotective. Now, she was stuck here with nothing to do but study at the library and meditate. The latter had brought about an unexpected vision…. one that she couldn’t ignore. 

***

“Senator Amidala is in danger. I need to alert the senate and search for her!” 

Ahsoka and Plo Koon walked down a spacious hallway as she recounted the strange images to him. Master Plo was normally calm and collected, but something about her story had visibly unnerved him for a moment. 

“Remember that Force visions aren’t as straightforward as they seem. You must take this one step at a time, Ahsoka.”

Ahsoka paused. The vision was like a fading dream. It was getting more and more difficult to recall. “We need to find that planet. It was green…very green. I think it might be Naboo. Padmé visits her home planet all of the time.” 

“First, we need to find out if the senator has left Coruscant,” Plo said patiently. 

Ahsoka felt a wave of embarrassment. She was getting too far ahead of herself. “Right. That sounds like the most reasonable idea.” 

*** 

Padmé’s mission to find the antidote had reached so many dead ends that she wondered why she was even bothering. She’d contacted numerous physicians, researchers, historians, senators, and anyone else she thought would be helpful, but her efforts were in vain. It was hopeless. Bail Organa was going to die. The inevitable outcome made tears stream down her face as she sat in her office. Bail was more than just a close political acquaintance or even a friend. He was like family to her. The thought of losing him was so unbearable that she slid to the ground, shaking with sobs.

Suddenly, the doors slid open. She shakily got to her feet just as a blue-robed Senate Guard entered, followed by Ahsoka Tano and Plo Koon.

“Senator Amidala, the Jedi are here on urgent business.”


End file.
